Omens of Battle
by Zophiel Lagace
Summary: What if Alexander and Caesar had lived in the same time period? And what if Alexander had fought against Julius Caesar? Want to know what could have happened?
1. The Gods of War: Ares and Mars

**Disclaimer**: The main characters of this story don't belong to me, but the interpretation of History, and the crazy events that take place here, are the product of my crazy mind.

**A/N**: Hi! I'm afraid that I have to give a lot of explanation before you start reading. Yes I know, I'm the "explanations girl" and I know this is boring but I'm afraid it is necessary. I'll be brief.

I love ancient Rome, and I was very excited to read what would have happened if Alexander had fought against Rome. Alexander would have won because, in Alexander's time, Rome was not the Rome of Scipio the _Africanus_ or Caesar Augustus. So, I found myself thinking that that would be an unjust battle. Alexander had a great army but Rome did not, so I thought, what would have happened if Alexander had fought against Julius Caesar? THAT would have been a fair fight.

But Caesar was born in the 100 B.C., almost 256 years after Alexander, so I did some cheating.

As the X men had their "What if" series, where Gambit is a vampire or Wolverine is in a pack with his half brother living in the wild. I decided to do my own "What If". So, what if Rome evolved faster, and while Alexander was conquering Asia Caesar was conquering Gaul?

And as a result we have this delusion of a crazy girl.

I based this battle principally on: the Battle of Cynoscephalae in Thessaly in 197 BC, between the Macedonian King Philip V and the Roman General Titus Quinctius Flamininus. Also I used the battles of: Cannae (Hannibal vs the Romans) Zama (Scipio the _Africanus_ vs Hannibal) Pharsalus (Caesar vs Pompey) and Gaugamela (Alexander vs Darius III). I do NOT have a Ph. D. in Classic History and this is not an essay, it's an A/U story, so I apologize in advance for all the mistakes here.

I hope you like it and, many thanks for reading!.

* * *

_Between Marcus Antonius and Quintus Dellius._

_41 BC Asia_

_"You would have beaten Caesar with no trouble, Antonius" said Dellius without a trace of sycophancy in his tone._

_"I? Not if every God there is fought on my side! Caesar was in a class all his own, and there's no disgrace in saying that. Over 50 battles he generaled, and never lost one. Oh, I'd beat Magnus if he still lived -or Lucullus, or even Gaius Marius. But Caesar? Alexander the Great would have gone down to him" (1)_

**-o-o-o-**

**THE GODS OF WAR **

**ARES AND MARS**

It was a hot day in the south of Italy in the region of Campania; the Romans had heard from their spies that the Macedonian king was moving against the growing Roman Empire in Western Europe. This had been just a matter of time and the general in charge of the 6 Roman legions and two auxiliary cohorts knew it— _It cannot be two suns in the sky_ –the Roman general saw the Macedonian army formation in front of him— _Flawless_ –he thought.

31 000 infantrymen:

The phalanx at the center with 9,000 men divided in 6 _taxeis_ (battalions), 2,000 _hypaspist_, the elite of the Macedonian infantry; 7,000 Greek hoplites, and 13,000 light infantry. His cavalry 8, 800: the Greek, Thracian and Bactrian cavalry at his left wing, the _hetairoi_ cavalry with the _Ile Basilike_, the Royal Squadron, at the right wing.

There, in the right wing was the Macedonian King, leading. He knew it as he knew this day would come, and he was not surprised when he realized that he had waited this moment since he heard about the deeds of the Macedonian Lion, who at such a young age was the master of half the known world.

_Meus Imperator, protector of Rome_

_Quod Rector, son of the republic_

_Meus Murco, the eagle's eyes_

_Meus Loricatus, the hands of war_

_HAIL!_

_JULIUS CAESAR_

_HAIL!_

_INVICTUS_

_(_Ex Deo_. Invictus)_

But now he, Gaius Julius Caesar, was also the master of half of the known world and this battle was eminent since Alexander's uncle, Alexandros of Epirus, had been defeated by the Romans. Julius sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, remembered that day when everything started…

It was a sunny, bright hot morning of October…and that had Julius in a terrible mood. October was not supposed to have sunny, bright hot mornings, and this was all thanks to the archaistic and completely useless calendar that King Numa had inherited them more than 200 years ago. The Roman kingdom had disappeared centuries in the past, they were now a proud Republic. Why then, in the name of _Jupiter Optimus Maximus_, they had to suffer a horrible calendar that failed to match the seasons?

Julius had gave this a lot of thought, even in the middle of his war against the Gauls he had time to remind himself that, as soon as he had time, he would correct the calendar. And now that he was not only the _Pontifex Maximus_ but also a Dictator for life, he had the best men working on this. Still, that morning, when he got ready to start a long day of hard work, the shining sun outside offended him.

His personal slave arranged the several folds of wool that was his toga. Once Julius had heard someone joking that the Romans had conquered the world just to have sufficient slaves to dress them. They had conquered the world because they could. Period. He watched that impressive sight that was Rome from the window of his bedroom…

_Impressive?_ No, impressive was a very big word for the city unfolding in front of him, Julius thought from his privilege position on the Palatine Hill. This was the capital of a great empire covering from Britain to the north of Africa, including Hispania and Gaul, this was the city that had crushed great empires, like Carthage, and that had gave birth to brilliant Generals like: Camillus, Scipio the _Africanus_, his own uncle Gaius Marius, the not so loved Sulla and his fat, decapitated, and very dead ex son-in-law Pompey. But Rome was not impressive, at least not yet, it was city built of wood with numerous problems and heavily shaken by constant civil wars.

The best reminder of this were the rests of the Senate house, right there, in the _Forum_. A very angry mob had burned it down when a very idiot Milo had killed his rival Publius Clodio, the champion of the poor and the lowest class of citizens, in one word: the mob, on the Appian Way. If someone had ever wonder what was the most powerful force on the planet the answer was quiet simple: the Roman mob, you did not wanted to face that, you just don't.

Julius had ordered to rebuild the Senate house and in the mean time, the Senate met in Pompey's theater, on the _Campus Martius_. The Gods had truly a twisted sense of humor, Pompey had been his allied, son-in-law, rival and finally his enemy, and now fat Pompey was dead, Julius was the undisputed Master of Rome but had to hold his meetings in the place his rival had built under the very statue of the man.

Julius would change that, for a start, he was building a brand new house for the Senate…and a new _Forum_ by the way, next to the _Forum Romanum_. He loved Rome as he had never loved a living person and he would make of her the most wonderful city on the world, he would make the Roman Empire the only force worth to fear.

But he had so many things to do! Why was he still stuck in his house? Julius turned to look at his slave, who was finally finishing his task, and he was free to go. He decided to walk from here, the _Domus Publica_, the known house of the _Pontifex Maximus_, to the _Campus Martius, _ignoring the alarming number of clients that were waiting for him. Julius did not have time that day. It was not a short distance from here to Pompey's theater, but Julius was proud of his excellent physical condition, he was as fit as any young man, and liked to walk around Rome, the only city in the world that burst with so much life.

Also he also had to remember Pompey's round silhouette, like a perfect balloon stuck in an armor too small for him, to know that too much luxury and good life could ruin a man, so no litters for him.

Julius' _lictors_ walked behind him, the bodyguards that every elected magistrate with _Imperium_ had at his disposal, but as the Dictator, he was the only one who could go around the city with 24. Cool, wasn't it? He had so many things in his mind but these did not stop him from greeting people on his way and catching the looks they gave him, especially the women.

He was as vain as he was brilliant, which was to say a lot, and knew perfectly well he was, and had always been, a striking man, a living piece or art that breath and walk around as if he owned the whole world: Tall, blond, with a single lock of silver hair crossing his face that gave him a mature and mysterious look that had charmed more than one; aquamarine eyes with a darker ring of blue, changing its color like the jewels according to his mood, from intense blue when he was angry to a pale shade like the sky during summer when he was relax.

Julius was good hiding his thoughts but his eyes spoke louder than words, saying so much with so little but at the same time hiding his most intimate secrets. He turned slowly when he felt an intense glance over him and found a beautiful red hair woman looking at him. A married woman judging by the _stola_ she was wearing.

It was as if time had stopped for a moment, and everything discoursed in slow motion. He smiled, that charming smile that could strip all defenses of men and women, the one that had bewitched the heart of more maidens than he could count and that had his Legion eating from the palm of his hand. The red hair blushed intently and Julius continued walking.

His mind went back to his most urgent problems: The city had many necessities starting with the very alarming fact that the treasury was as good as empty, his veterans wanted lands to retire… _Mm_, was not his nephew's birthday that week? Gaius Octavius was 17 years old now, which meant he had come to age and the day where he was going to wear his first toga was approaching. Would they wait until the _Liberalia_ to celebrate it? He truly hoped so because he had to attend, of course, and did not have time in those moments.

There were also his problems with Marcus Antonius' scandalous behavior, his affair with the voluptuous actress Cytheris, the heavy drinking, Julius was sure Antonius could drink as much as King Alexander which was truly preoccupying, and his massive debts. Had it been a good idea to name Antonius as Master of the Horse? Well, he did not have so much as a choice there, after all he was his cousin.

And what to say about the good smarty Cicero who lately only gave problems? The so called _Pater Patriae_ after the "great" service he did to the Republic by crushing Catiline's conspiracy to overthrown the Senate, had published a very colorful pamphlet called _Cato_, praising his swore enemy…_enemy?_ That was a curious word. Was Cato really his enemy?

_Well, he certainly hated me and he knew how to be really annoying with that shrill voice of his_ –thought Julius—_Did I hate him?_ _It is hard to actually hate a man when you have slept with his first wife and his half sister_ –he smiled again remembering poor fragile Atilia and intelligent savage Servilia.

Julius remembered that Cato liked to talk for hours, until nightfall, and he had done it during a Senate meeting just to avoid that they voted the motion if Julius should be allowed to stand for Consul in _absentia_. How could someone talk for so long? He would have never thought it possible without Cato; once, when he was Consul, he even had to order his _lictors_ to take the man out as soon he pretended to start talking nonstop.

_But_ _I never hated Cato, and I would certainly miss him in a way…but Cicero's _Cato_…_—he shook his head—_Maybe I should write a reply, The _Anticato_…But it will have to wait until this situation with Macedonia is settle… _

And this took Julius to THE problem. How had this started? He crossed the Rubicon, the river that served as boundary between his province, Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul and Rome, and started a civil war. Not that he had wanted that, it was more like he did not have a choice. During this time of turmoil at Italy, a very opportunist King Alexandros of Epirus, had decided to invade them, thinking it would be an easy victory and that he could match his famous nephew's, King Alexander III of Macedonia, glory by conquering the powerful Roman Empire.

Alexandros of Epirus obtained an easy victory at the south of Italy but he was no match for Pompey. What had Pompey to do in all of this? As son as his ex son-in-law heard that Julius had crossed the Rubicon, Pompey decided to flee…All right, if one was to believe Pompey he did not flee, it was just a 'strategic retreat', for Julius it was just a nice way to say he had ran away to the south and, eventually, crossed his path with the Epirote.

What then? There was a fight and Pompey defeated Alexandros; unfortunately the King died in that battle leaving the Romans in the very delicate position of informing the second most powerful man on earth that _Oops!_ They had killed his uncle. Of course Pompey hadn't lived long enough to face the consequences of his victory. Shortly after this he fought against Julius and lost…

Pompey ran away to Egypt hoping that King Alexander would welcome him and protect him from his enemies. Nothing further from reality. Alexander was too far away from Europe to know what had happened in time, and the first one to heard the news about King Alexandros' defeat and ultimate death was Cleomenes of Naucratis, who was in charge of Egypt by Alexander's direct orders. And he took the decision of cutting Pompey's head as soon as the poor devil set a foot on Egypt.

The head, according to Julius' spies, was on his way to Babylon attached to note to King Alexander explaining what had happened to his uncle, and the one who was now in the very delicate position of solving this mess was no other than Julius.

He sighed.

Rome had always depended of Egyptian grain, the Persian Great Kings had no problem in selling them grain but, when the dashing Macedonian conqueror invaded the Persian Empire the grain supply stopped, which meant the people of Rome did not have accessed to the grain dole and the prices had gone to the sky, which was enraging the people, which would cause that soon Julius would have to face the always feared phenomenon called "angry Roman mob". Nobody wanted that.

What to do? Cleomenes had cut the head of an elected Roman Consul, a terrible insult, King Alexandros had invaded them, which was even worst, and they were in all their right to defend their territory, even killed the invader. Julius had decided then to write to King Alexander, who had heard these news almost 3 months after the events, and Julius had asked for 2 things: Pompey's head and sealing ring and the head of the man responsible for killing his ex son-in-law.

Julius had King Alexander's answer now and was going to read it to the Senate that day. He had been expecting this. Alexander, despite of being very polite and everything in his letter, had refused to fulfill his demands; after all, Pompey had killed his uncle, in the eyes of the Macedonian Great King, Cleomenes had not done anything wrong.

This did not surprise Julius one bit. He knew with whom he was dealing and had heard numerous things about Alexander, the most important, that his hunger for everlasting glory was insatiable; he could have conquered one of the most important empires of the world, but he would not stop. What were his proofs? The Macedonian had gone to India, was planning to invade Arabia and now…Now Julius was sure he also wanted to annex Rome to his vast possessions including all the Eastern Europe and part of Asia, Greece, Thrace, Illyria, the Hellespont, the Persian Empire and part of India. Macedonia's military power was undisputable, and the fame of its young king was legendary. The Macedonian Lion, the son of Zeus-Amon, _Sikander_.

Rome had not sought this war, they had been busy in their own civil war when a foreign King invaded them, but they would make the most of this situation.

_This couldn't be better_ –he thought, reaching Pompey's theater at last where he would urged the Senate into taking action against the Macedonians—_There is only one way to restore Rome after the civil wars and that way is with gold. No one has more gold than the Great King. _

**XXX**

_Marching on, marching on_

_The battle weary marching side by side_

_Alexander's army line by line_

_Alexander the Great_

_His name struck fear into hearts of men_

_Alexander the Great_

_Became a legend amongst mortal men_

_(_Iron Maiden_. Alexander the Great)_

At first the handsome king of uneven eyes was angry for having to return before he could reach the end of the world, but when he arrived to Italy his annoyance was replace by a burning excitement. Rome was not Persia, Rome was also an empire but had a professional army with a legendary commander as himself. That was new for him. He had battle against great armies and powerful kings but never, NEVER against a resourceful, clever, respected and skill commander. It was his ultimate challenge; he had the opportunity to measure his forces against a more than worthy opponent.

Achilles had found his Hector, at last.

The wind blew, the blond locks of his hair danced in front of his eyes: one cerulean blue, one brown like amber, watching the Roman battle formation in front of his own men. Six legions at full force, which means: 30, 000 men, 2 auxiliary cohorts: 2,500 men. Their cavalry on the wings: a total of 6,400 Romans and allies with Latin status, and 2,000 Celtic and Germans. Their silver eagles were shining under the sun, and his standards dancing at the mercy of the wind.

Alexander saw the Tenth legion, Caesar's favorite one, ruthless and ferocious, was in the place of honor, at the right flank. The left flank was held by the Ninth and Eighth legions and _legatus_ Mark Anthony was in charge of the left wing. And the Thirteenth legion, the one that had crossed the river Rubicon with their commander starting the civil war, was placed at the center, along with the First legion under the command of _legatus_ Publius Sulla. The Third legion was at the rearguard with the auxiliary cohorts. The legion's standards were full with decorations.

The Macedonian king smiled, his blood burned in the anticipation of the battle of his life.

Caesar had with him the veteran troops of Gaul. Alexander had his veterans of Asia. Men to whom the only retirement could be death. They both had the unconditional love of their men and both were undefeated. Alexander had his outstanding victories in Gaugamela and Hydaspes against the kings Darius and Porus; Caesar had his victories in Alesia and Pharsalus (2) against the Gaul leader Vercingetorix and the Roman general Pompey Magnus.

They both were childless, had no male heir, they both had never found love in marriage, and had married several time. Olympias, Alexander's mother and Aurelia, Caesar's mother were strong, intelligent and independent women who were widows at a young age. The Macedonian king had inherited his army from his father; the Roman Dictator had inherited it from his uncle.

Their forces were even.

One was the descendant of Heracles and the other was direct descendant of Venus. And they were ready to decide who was the greatest general of all time and which one was the better army. The winner would be the undisputable master of the world, the undeniable god of war.

Alexander smiled under his magnificent helmet like a lion head.

— They are ready to fight –said Ptolemy, on his horse at the left of the king.

— I told you, these Romans are tough, they are not going to make it easy for us –said Leonnatos, his horse was nervous, kicking the ground with his hoof.

— But they are just 30 000 or 33 000 of them, Darius' army was of almost 100,000 men –said Ptolemy, extremely confident in their victory. In more than 10 years of military campaign they hadn't lost one battle, he trusted Alexander in almost a fanatical way—And they had no _cataphracti_ cavalry or scythed chariots like the Persians.

— The Romans are not Persians –said Hephaistion on his white stallion, always at the king's right. His silky bronze-golden hair tied, but rebel locks crossed his ungodly handsome face. He was a vision of beauty in his military uniform.

— They are barbarians –insisted Ptolemy and he spited at one side—You worry too much Hephaistion.

— No, he is right –said Alexander, his uneven eyes fixed in the formidable enemy in front of him—These Romans and their commander are not like any other foe we have encounter before. I told you yesterday.

Ptolemy frowned, remembering the military council they had the day before…

The Macedonian camp was situated outside the Greek city of Posidonia, at the south of Italy. They had come not only because the ultimate demise of King Alexandros, they had also come because the Greeks had complained about the Roman monopoly of the Mediterranean, which they had started calling _Mare Nostrum_. The Romans galleys were everywhere, but when they had invaded Crete the Greeks were outrage, and then they started to complain with the Macedonian King.

— Those Athenians sons of a Bad Mother have lured us into a trap! –exclaimed Krateros, hitting the wooden table, making the things on it jump—The Greek cities in Italy don't want our help, they are already Roman cities.

— We are not doing this to liberate the Greek cities in Italy, we are here because Rome is becoming a danger to us –said Hephaistion, every opportunity to bother Krateros was a good one.

— I know that, Mr. I-so-cute-that-I-get-my-own-cavalry-squadron –Hephaistion was about to jump to him and took out his eyes, but Perdikkas took him by the arm. The last time he had fought with Krateros Alexander was furious and they hadn't spoken to each other in months.

— Enough! –Alexander raised his voice—It doesn't matter if we don't have the support of the Greek or ex-Greek cities in Italy, we are going to fight the Romans anyway.

— We'll defeat them in no time, Alexander –said Leonnatos with absolute confidence, closing his fist in front of his face.

— These Romans have no chance against us –Ptolemy agreed, but Alexander was too serious.

— I don't want you to underestimate our opponent –said the King—We are going to win this battle against Caesar, but don't think it's going to be easy. I've read Caesar's Comments of the Gallic Wars.

— And? –asked Koinos.

— Oh! He is tough –Alexander smiled excited—He is someone I will like to meet… and battle against, have no doubt of that.

— What are these Comments of the Gallic Wars? –asked Perdikkas, frowning.

— Caesar wrote all his campaign against the Gauls and sent it to Rome with regularity, so the Senate and the people were always inform of what he was doing –Hephaistion explained—One of Alexander's spies sent him a copy.

— Whatever, I still think we are better –said Ptolemy stubbornly.

— Of course we are, but be prepare this is going to be more difficult that fighting against king Porus –said Alexander.

— But they have no elephants with them –said Leonnatos.

— No, but they have a more capable commander –replied Alexander.

* * *

(1) Colleen McCullough. _Antony and Cleopatra_, page 16

(2) I know, I know, Pharsalus is in Greece, and according to my story Rome hadn't any influence in Greece…but I didn't know how to changed it. I'm sorry.


	2. Field of Glory

**FIELD OF GLORY**

Back to the present, Ptolemy saw the Roman commander formation and saw nothing spectacular. But he will be careful.

— Why doesn't he attack? –asked Leonnatos—We are just staring at each other.

— He is not going to move –said Alexander—He is waiting for us to make the first move, clever.

— Why is he clever? –asked Ptolemy.

— The sun.

— Eh?

— If he waits more the sun will be directly to us, blinding our men –answered Alexander—So, lets not keep this Romans waiting.

The king pressed the flanks of his horse and ran in front of his troops.

_Roman Lines:_

Julius heard the shouts, cheers and acclamations of the Macedonian army: _Ale-xan-dros! Ale-xan-dros!_ Their voices were like thunders; the men hit their swords against their shields, acclaiming this force of nature called Alexander.

_We can't be left behind_ –thought the Dictator smiling, and he also guided his horse in front of his army, his red cloak dancing in the wind.

— Comrades! –Julius addressed his men—We are here to fight against the most formidable enemy Rome had ever faced –all the ranks of his soldiers were silent and still—This foreign king is not Hannibal, he is not a Gaul or a Teuton, this man –he extended his arm to the Macedonian lines—Is the most extraordinary commander in history, some say is impossible to defeat him, some say he is a god –he made a dramatic pause, the only sound were the shouts of _Alexandros!_—But we are not Persians or Indians, not even Greeks, we are Romans, and we can defeat the impossible –the legionaries shouted in agreement—You are the ones who destroy Vercingetorix, you can do anything, because, YOU ARE CAESAR'S MEN!

33, 000 throats shout at the same time, hitting their shields with their _gladius_, and they started shouting, as if competing with the Macedonians: _Cae-sar! Cae-sar!_

_Macedonian Lines_:

— Brothers! –shouted Alexander and his army fell silent—You have accompanied me through distant lands, together we have suffer cold, heat and hunger, we have fight against Asian kings, and armies more numerous than this, and WE ARE STILL HERE! –his army roared—We are the masters of Asia and we are going to crush these Romans, and demonstrate the world that we are also the Lords of Europe!

His army went insane. And every man shouted at the same time with overwhelming force: ALEXANDROS NIKE!

And the Romans replied as if they have rehearsed: ROMA VICTRIX!

- _Sarissaaaas_ to the FRONT! –shouted the Macedonian officers, ready to start the charge.

Perdikkas and Krateros were commanding the infantry at the center. They knew the strategy of their king, and were in their hands to see the battle was fought according with Alexander's plans.

This was a battle between two outstanding general, between to empires, between two different styles of fighting: the phalanx against the legions. And the phalanx had never been defeated.

_Roman center:_

The _bucinae_ fill the air with their tunes, giving the order to advance. Rank after rank of legionaries moved in perfect order, their square red shield to the front, they were a perfect wall; impenetrable and full of death promises. Usually the mere sight of the Roman ranks will suffice to make armies break, but not this one. This time they will fight to the last man, the Romans had great determination, they could fight against the gods in their own house and spit on the face of fate.

100 paces…

50 paces…

30 paces…

The Roman Centurions shouted: _PILA_! And the first rank of legionaries released their javelins to the _taxeis_ of the Macedonian phalanxes.

_Macedonian front:_

— Holy Mother %&#!= With =·"%# On top! –exclaimed Perdikkas, hiding behind his shield. A rain of javelins fell over them; the first wounded men fell, moaning in pain, he saw one man fell, pierced from side to side. When the Romans stopped, Perdikkas tried to take off the _pila_ stuck in his shield. He couldn't. The _pila_ was made in a way that was impossible to take it off, so now their shields were useless and not only that, the _momentum_ was lost—Damn Romans! ADVANCE!

The Romans found themselves in front of the block of soldiers and their _sarissas, _that were like a palisade. First they draw their short swords known as _gladius_ and cut the tip of the long spears, but that was slow and painful. Many men found their death trying to break through the lines of the Macedonians, the phalanx was a deadly opponent, unstoppable and undefeated, like a giant hydra. You can cut one head but many would appear. But the iron discipline of the Roman soldiers prevail, and they tried their best to keep moving against the odds.

Perdikkas heard the booming voice of Krateros at the distance and he knew it was time. He gave the order and his men took a step back, giving ground to their enemies.

_Macedonian right wing, cavalry: _

— It has stared –said Hephaistion—Alexander?

The king hadn't order the cavalry to move; he was watching Julius on the other side of the battlefield.

He didn't move his entire forces –thought Alexander—He had at least one legion in reserved, I must be careful.

The king drew his spear, and gave the signal to attack; both cavalry wings moved at the same time, the _hetairoi_ and the allied troops. He knew he had the advantage there, the Roman cavalry was not match to his own. And they charged in wedge formation, with the king at the front. Alexander had the best cavalry in the known world. They were like demons thrown out from Hades ready to flourish on the bones and blood of their enemies.

_Roman rearguard_:

Julius wasn't any fool; he knew the _hetairoi_ cavalry was the one he had to fear. Roman infantry was far superior to the phalanx formation, but his cavalry was his weak point. The cavalry would decide the battle and he had a plan. He had to defeated the _pezetairoi_ quickly, crush them beyond salvation, and them regroup to make a stand against the cavalry.

_Easier said than done_ –thought Julius. He prayed to _Jupiter Optimus Maximus_ that the Roman cavalry could stop Alexander the sufficient time, and vowed to built the god a temple is he helped him. He knew that even with the gods help his victory wasn't secure because the Lion of Macedonia was his opponent.

Macedonian right wing, cavalry:

Hephaistion followed Alexander closely, always at his right side. The horses raised clouds of dust, and their steps made the earth tremble. For long moments he couldn't see a thing, then, there were the silhouettes of the enemy cavalry, and he embraced himself to receive the clash.

Hephaistion had fought many times, but he always felt the same shivers in his spine when he saw an enemy charge. It was the most impressive and overwhelming moment of the battle. He opened and closed his hand, before resting it on the pommel of his long cavalry sword. And like many times before this day, he vowed to protect his Alexander from anything, even at the cost of his own life.

_Macedonian center_:

Krateros and Perdikkas were having big troubles fighting against the Roman infantry. The Roman formation, contrary to the phalanx, was flexible, and could move easily. The Macedonian phalanx was like a gigantic pincushion, and with its long spears gave the troops no chance of wheeling round (1) and once it started moving it was impossible to stop it. It was a titanic effort to make the men moved back in perfect order, making the Romans believe they were giving ground and luring them into a trap.

The idea was to make then taste victory for the Roman commander to move his entire forces and then swallowed them, mobilizing the hidden reserves to outflank the Romans.

Perdikkas swore. Alexander's plan sound very good yesterday, but being there, in the center of the battle was being more difficult than he had imagined.

_Ares, please, let this Roman take the bait quickly_ –thought Perdikkas.

_Roman rearguard:_

Julius saw his men advancing more and more and heard the cheers of his military Tribunes, they thought they had the battle won. But the Dictator frowned.

— Tribune Longinus! –called Julius.

— Yes, General –the man arrived and saluted.

— Give the order for the men to stop the advance –said Julius firmly, confusing his subordinate.

— But Caesar…they are giving ground, we can finish them –the other members of his military staff silently agreed with Longinus.

— You fool, they are not giving ground, this is a trap.

_Macedonian right wing cavalry_:

Alexander heard the Roman _bucinae_ sound the order for the infantry to stop. The king cut the throat of his enemy, the wind blew and carried the blood toward him, covering his face. Soaked in blood. Then he stopped and turned to look what was happening at the center of the battle.

— Alexander! –Hephaistion blocked a blow with his shield and moved his horse to his beloved—Don't stay here.

— He saw it.

— Eh? What are you talking about? –Hephaistion kicked his opponent and sank his _kopis, _a curved slashing sword, in his chest. Alexander started laughing and his friend thought he had gone crazy.

— He saw it! –he was excited as if he had been crowned king of Olympus—He saw my strategy –that surprised Hephaistion, this was the first time it happened. Normally nobody knew what the king's plans were, not even his own officers understand his strategies until they won the battle—This is going to be interesting.

_Macedonian center:_

Perdikkas saw the Roman lines in utterly confusion. Why they have stop? It was impossible that they knew about the king's plan. The _bucinae_ sound again and the legionaries went back in order a couple of paces; then the Centurions roared: _PILA! _

— Not again –muttered Perdikkas, and luckily for him he found a shield among the dead bodies. But many of his men weren't that lucky, and fell under that black rain. Screams of pain filled the air and corpses started to fall.

_Macedonian rearguard: _

Koinos saw what was happening and roar with all the force he could summon: ARCHERS!

_Macedonian center:_

Perdikkas saw in horror and admiration how the Centurions gathered their men and then they shouted as one entity: _TESTUDO!_ At once the legionaries covered themselves with their shields, forming like a turtle's shell. The arrows fell on them merciless but didn't harm them.

— Bloody Romans! –he exclaimed in frustration. When the battle was over, he was going to kick Alexander for situated him in the center of the battle.

_Macedonian right wing, cavalry: _

Alexander saw a gap in the Roman cavalry formation and quickly led his men through it. Only he could do that, finding the right moment and the right place to attacked; many generals get confuse in the middle of the battles, seeing nothing more than a bunch of people engaged in a chaotic fight. But for him the battlefield was like a game board, and he was the master of his own pieces.

The _Ile Basilike_ followed him, it was just a matter of time to reach the Romans rearguard and strangled them as he had done with Darius in Gaugamela. Alexander could feel his pulse accelerate, every fiber of his body burning…

But.

This was not Gaugamela and Julius was not Darius. The king found the auxiliary cohorts arranged in both flanks, a wall of shields and javelins used like spears, ready to impale every horse or rider who dare to approach.

— HALT! –Alexander roared.

This was a trap.

If the king ordered the charge, the horses would panic and crushed their own forces. Oh, he liked Caesar more and more.

_Roman center: _

The Centurions took advantage of the phalanx weak point. A man called Scaeva, famous for his heroic performance at the Battle of Dyrrhachium where he took no less than 120 arrows on his shield (2), took his Centuria away, abandoning the part of the line that had opened a small gap in the enemy's lines, and quickly round to attack the _taxei_ right flank from behind. Literally they carved they way through, bloodily and savagely.

Soon, many other Centurias followed, 2,000 men in total, outflanking the Macedonian infantry and cut to pieces the _hypaspist_ and the _hoplites_ too, with the ability of men who had always lived with a sword in their hands.

_Macedonian center: _

Perdikkas, Krateros, and Seleukos who was in charge of the _hypaspist_ troops, were in serious troubles. They had suffered severe casualties following Alexander's instructions, but now, if they didn't receive some help, they would be no more.

Perdikkas sensed his men were starting to panic. The Romans fought using the _gladius_, a short sword with two edges, and the damaged they cause was terrified, it cut limps with lethal efficiency. Something the Macedonian troops had never encounter before.

_Macedonian left flank, infantry reserved_:

Antigonus the One Eye was in charged of the reserve. He had orders to attack only when the Romans had advance the sufficient, but the Romans had stopped and changed their strategy. He swore. He didn't know what to do. The Romans were destroying his comrades, the phalanxes had gaps everywhere, and once the gaps appeared it was the end of the formation.

At last he made up his mind and ordered to attack.

When Meleager at the right flank of the reserved infantry saw what Antigonus was doing, he ordered to attack too, and soon the Roman infantry was surrounded, though not as Alexander had planned.

_Roman rearguard_:

Julius almost smiled when he saw the reserve troops emerged from their hidden place, behind the trees that surrounded the zone. Their officers saw him with awe. He had saved them from a terrible defeat.

— Order the Third legion to advance –said Julius, his blue eyes watching the battlefield with attention.

The reserved legion was order to advance and join the battle to help their comrades. If the cavalry didn't hurry, it would be the end of the phalanxes.

_Macedonian right wing, cavalry_:

Alexander charged again against the Roman cavalry and pushed them to their rearguard. He intended to crush the auxiliary cohorts with their own cavalry, break their lines and run to the aid of his infantry before there was nothing to save.

His plan worked and little by little the _hetairoi_ cavalry pushed the Romans and their allies back. The auxiliary cohorts fought bravely, but at the end Alexander broke their lines successfully.

Julius saw this, and immediately draw his sword, and order his escort, his group of 24 _lictors_ and his military staff to follow him. He was going to stop Alexander even if that cost him his life.

— ROMA VICTRIX! –shouted Julius and charged directly to the king.

No. He was not Darius. He will not run away.

The remnants of the auxiliary cohorts were still trying to stop the Macedonian attacked when they saw their general. Every man alive injured or not shouted: CAESAR! And fought with new energy, because they new _He_ was watching them and didn't want to disappoint him.

Alexander turned when he heard the shouts. There was the famous Roman commander, impressive in his full military glory. The king smiled. This was the only thing he never had, a single combat against a great opponent in the middle of an epic battle. He rushed to encounter Julius, and Julius returned the smile.

The winner will built the most impressive empire the world have ever seen.

The battle appeared to stop, the men near to the generals turned to look as they clashed. Julius _gladius_ was blocked by Alexander's _kopis_, the eyes of both men glowing with excitement.

They weren't men, in that moment, they were the gods of war.

The Dictatorpressed the attack with a skilled sequence of blows, the king blocked and dodge, and pressed the flanks of his horse to move, trying to connect a fatal strike from behind. Alexander feinted two attacks and cut Julius's arm, the blood flow, but wasn't a serious injure, so the Roman attacked again. But the Macedonian had anticipated the move and dodge the _gladius_ that was seeking his heart.

Hephaistion, always near the king, was too concentrated in the battle. He feared deeply for his beloved one because, until this day, they had never encounter such a formidable opponent. His heart ached. His eyes were on Alexander and he didn't see a _pila_ threw to him. The javelin pierced his armor and the skin of his left side; the point was visible through his back. He felt dizzy. The wound was bleeding badly. He heard Alexander's powerful voice at the distance, he wanted to do something but he could. Hephaistion caught the king's uneven eyes for a moment and then he passed out, falling from his horse.

He didn't hear the king calling after him.

Julius stopped his sword one millimeter from the king's neck. Alexander's uneven eyes saw the Roman as if he couldn't comprehend what was just happened, he could only think about Hephaistion, and his own death seem not so important in comparison. The only thing that mattered in that moment was Hephaistion's life; the rest was nothing.

Alexander was the only one who could make the _hetairoi_ cavalry, do things that other men could only dream; if there was still a way to win the king was the man to do so, but with Hephaistion wounded and bleeding almost to his dead, he was un-able to continue.

His soul mate was in danger, and everything: time and space frozen. He couldn't go on without him. He, who had won against the impossible in Persia and in India, had done so because Hephaistion was there.

Leonnatos ran to help Hephaistion and all the men in the _hetairoi_ cavalry turned to see his king at the mercy of the Roman. The battle in the right wing stopped.

The Roman legions practically destroy the Macedonian infantry. In the left wing of the Macedonian cavalry, the Bactrian and Thracian cavalry was pushing back the Romans and his allies, but had no idea the auxiliaries were waiting for them. In the right wing the enemy cavalry was no more, along with the auxiliary cohorts, but the battle was already been decided.

Rome won.

* * *

No Hephaistions were harmed during the writing of this battle…well just a little.

**A/N**: I sure that Alexander would had done something more spectacular in a battle like this, and see through my homemade strategy. I did the best I could but sadly I'm a very poor commander, so I'm very sorry for the mistakes.

In order to make this work I fused two Kings of Epirus in one: Alexander and Pyrrhus, the later actually fought against Rome and lost. I took Pyrrhus army and battles and gave them to Alexander of Epirus, who actually fought in Italy too.

(1) Livy. _Rome and the Mediterranean_, p 116.

(2) Adrian Goldsworthy. _Caesar: life of a Colossus_, p 416


End file.
